Nokerohttp://nokero.com
Solar Lights and Solar Phone ChargersFri, 05 Jun 2015 17:08:44 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3My Kerosene Storyhttp://nokero.com/main/my-kerosene-story/
http://nokero.com/main/my-kerosene-story/#commentsThu, 12 Mar 2015 15:30:36 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=5012I used kerosene lanterns for more than 20 years before moving to Colorado, United States in 2007. I am the 5th born in a family of 9 and grew up in a remote rural community located in Chivi District in southern Zimbabwe. My parents are peasant farmers in Masvingo Province. Growing up, I had to [...]

]]>I used kerosene lanterns for more than 20 years before moving to Colorado, United States in 2007.

A typical kerosene lantern in the developing world.

I am the 5th born in a family of 9 and grew up in a remote rural community located in Chivi District in southern Zimbabwe. My parents are peasant farmers in Masvingo Province. Growing up, I had to study a lot to maintain my “top of the class kid” status. I also spent time helping classmates who struggled with subjects such as Math, English, Science and Geography. During end of school term examinations, friends would often come over to seek help a night or two before the examinations. This meant that I would spend hours and nights burning kerosene lamps. Sometimes the family would run out of kerosene and we used diesel fuel instead. Diesel powered lamps emit dark, reddish thick flames and they make it extremely hard to read and complete homework. In both cases, the smell was terrible. Candles are relatively brighter and smell better than kerosene or diesel lamps but they were more expensive and therefore beyond the reach of my family, especially for long reading hours.

Looking back, I don’t know how I survived such a dangerous but certainly unavoidable lifestyle. I recall an event in 1993 when I used kerosene to cook vegetables for the entire family, thinking that it was cooking oil. This happened because a family member placed a kerosene bottle next to a bottle of cooking oil and I couldn’t tell the difference. I didn’t even realize it because I cooked the green vegetables the traditional way—cooking oil is mixed with fully cooked and moist vegetables and so there is no deep frying, something that could have caused an explosion and fire in our thatched kitchen hut. You won’t believe this but upon realizing that I used kerosene to cook the vegetables, my family washed the vegetables several times hoping that the smell would disappear so that they could re-cook the recipe again using cooking oil. Well, it didn’t work out but my father, who was in a hurry, ate the kerosene soaked vegetables anyway. Now you can see how dangerous my experience with kerosene oil was and this is sadly everyday life for billions of people worldwide.

Healthwise, I was never a healthy child growing up. If you go back to my village and ask my parents, they will tell you that I was always coughing severely, an experience which kept them awake and worried most of the time. I also had frequent vision challenges and severe headaches. Of course I didn’t know what was causing all of that then. But looking back now, it’s reasonable to think that constant exposure to open fires and excessive use of kerosene and diesel lamps ignited most of my health challenges. I remember everyone complaining that my eyes were always looking reddish. I also recall severe coughing particularly towards end of school term examinations. Thatched huts would also often catch fire, particularly during winter and rainy days when kerosene is used to start open fires from rain soaked firewood.

Having lived in the US for more than 7 years, I now fully understand how easy student and everyday life is for people with uninterrupted access to electricity. Reading for my PhD was as easier as it could ever get. I didn’t have to worry about reddish and tearful eyes, excessive coughing, and constant headaches. I have a friend who spent five years reading for his PhD in Zimbabwe instead of three years. This was because his night studies were constantly interrupted by excessive load shedding even though he lived in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The last time I visited Zimbabwe in 2012, there wasn’t much difference between living in Harare and life back in my village. Access to electricity or the “bright lights” has always made people’s migration to urban areas exciting. In Zimbabwe, this is not the case anymore. In fact, most Zimbabweans remark that people in rural areas are much better off because they never had access to electricity anyways. Now those living in Harare and other cities are always in the dark and the level of darkness is extreme for people who have tasted the beauty of light in their homes and the brightness from the now defunct fluorescents in Harare’s Central Business District.

So, what Nokero is doing really resonates with my experience living in a remote village where not a single person had access to electricity or other modern energy sources such as solar. I am glad to see Nokero leading global efforts to eliminate the use of kerosene lamps and open fires. Kerosene lamps and open fires are a cancer to our society and the environment. Unfortunately, few people in my village in Zimbabwe realize how bad kerosene and open fires are to their health and the environment. I also didn’t fully realize it before I met Steve Katsaros at Nokero back in 2012. I strongly believe that Nokero solar lights are ideal for people living in rural communities and underserved developing cities because they are portable, cheaper and easier to use. We should work together to eliminate the use of kerosene lamps and open fires. I don’t see how I could go back to my village one of these days and let my family and other community members continue to live that way. Everything and everyone must change and move towards solar!

I hope that this brief story helps you and others better understand the positive health and environmental impacts that Nokero solar lights could have on people living in villages such as the one I grew up in.

Tizai Mauto

These children in Zimbabwe now have solar lights to study by rather than by the pale light of a candle.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/my-kerosene-story/feed/0Let’s Shine Through Ebolahttp://nokero.com/main/shine-through-ebola/
http://nokero.com/main/shine-through-ebola/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 21:35:46 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4989News of the Ebola outbreak is beginning to wind down; we no longer hear about it in our daily morning news nor in our social media feeds. However, the fact is the outbreak of the Ebola virus has crippled the health, education, and economic sectors in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Over 10,000 schools were closed affecting at [...]

]]>News of the Ebola outbreak is beginning to wind down; we no longer hear about it in our daily morning news nor in our social media feeds. However, the fact is the outbreak of the Ebola virus has crippled the health, education, and economic sectors in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Over 10,000 schools were closed affecting at least 5 million children and fifty percent of the workforce has been rendered jobless. Another fact is less than 10% of households have access to electricity. We feel access to safe, clean, renewable solar light will give people a boost as they begin to recover and restart their lives.

That’s why Nokero has joined forces with Project C.U.R.E and the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All to launch the ‘Shine Through Ebola’ campaign to deliver 500,000 solar light bulbs to individuals living in regions affected by Ebola. A gift of $10 USD will provide two Nokero solar lights to families, providing roughly ten people access to safe, clean, renewable light. Music for Relief, the non-profit founded by the band Linkin Park, has kicked off the campaign with a gift of 22,000 lights.

For approximately 90% of households, the only means of light after dark are dangerous and unhealthy kerosene lanterns. Kandeh Yumkella, the United Nation’s Secretary-General’s Special Representative and CEO for Sustainable Energy for All told us, “We believe that most patients when they are treated go home to darkness. Darkness where kids cannot read, women cannot see at night when they are going about their chores and in fact, the whole family is in darkness.”

Countless studies show that access to clean, safe light allows students to continue their studies, women to have more time to finish their chores and people to participate in income generating activities after the sun has set. And that’s just to name a few. Our Shine Through Ebola campaign will affect nearly half a million lives and we are reaching out to the public to help us #ShineThroughEbola. If you are looking to impact the lives of many by gifting light, go to store.nokero.com/donate.asp. And please spread light by sharing with your friends, colleagues and networks.

We can all #ShineThroughEbola.

NPR has an incredible new interactive series about what it takes for a village to be resilient after Ebola called “Life After Death”. It’s definitely a great way to learn about how people are recovering and picking back up their lives. Click here to go to the series.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/shine-through-ebola/feed/1Colorado Church Spreads Light to Developing Communitieshttp://nokero.com/main/colorado-church-spreads-light-to-communities/
http://nokero.com/main/colorado-church-spreads-light-to-communities/#commentsFri, 30 Jan 2015 18:32:41 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4872Most Precious Blood, a Catholic church based in Denver, Colorado, is deeply involved with helping underserved communities in Denver. They encourage church members to volunteer to help those living in poverty in Denver and have multiple programs that members can choose from. One of their newest missions is to provide solar light to people living in unelectrified communities in [...]

]]>Most Precious Blood, a Catholic church based in Denver, Colorado, is deeply involved with helping underserved communities in Denver. They encourage church members to volunteer to help those living in poverty in Denver and have multiple programs that members can choose from. One of their newest missions is to provide solar light to people living in unelectrified communities in Central America and the Caribbean. For the past five months, the church has already received enough donations to send 1898 Nokero solar light bulbs to replace kerosene lanterns and paraffin candles.

The lights are being distributed by Food for the Poor, a non-profit working in on the ground, and knows how to get lights into the hands of those without access to electricity. One of the countries that has received Nokero solar lights is Haiti. Haiti has long been considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Today, the vast majority of Haitians live at the lowest economic level and many suffer from a lack of food and medical care. Most families use kerosene lamps to continue their day after the sun has set, which exacerbates health problems and puts a strain on children’s education.

People often wonder how having access to light helps people succeed. What effect does kerosene lanterns have on people using them day in and day out? The use of kerosene lanterns mean people are constantly exposed to indoor air pollution. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to indoor air pollution is responsible for the nearly two million excess deaths, primarily women and children, from cancer, respiratory infections and lung diseases and for four percent of the global burden of disease. Access to clean light sources gives people an opportunity to study and work on income generating activities. The UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology states, “Business, industry, commerce and public services such as modern healthcare, education and communication are highly dependent on access to energy services. Indeed, there is a direct relationship between the absence of adequate energy services and many poverty indicators such as infant mortality, illiteracy, life expectancy and total fertility rate. Inadequate access to energy also exacerbates rapid urbanization in developing countries, by driving people to seek better living conditions. Increasing energy consumption has long been tied directly to economic growth and improvement in human welfare.”

Most Precious Blood has recognized the impact that clean, renewable solar light will have on those living in the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. And once again, have dedicated themselves to improving peoples’ lives, not only in Denver, but beyond as well.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/colorado-church-spreads-light-to-communities/feed/0Nokero lights up lives in Kibera Slum, Kenyahttp://nokero.com/main/nokero-lights-lives-kibera-slum-kenya/
http://nokero.com/main/nokero-lights-lives-kibera-slum-kenya/#commentsMon, 22 Dec 2014 23:24:31 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4798While on assignment in Kenya, Nokero asked me to stop in and interview a couple of women that use Nokero solar light bulbs. My first day in Nairobi, Kenya I was instantly briefed on Kibera slum. Kibera is located in Nairobi, Kenya and is the largest slum in Africa. In fact, it’s one of the largest [...]

]]>While on assignment in Kenya, Nokero asked me to stop in and interview a couple of women that use Nokero solar light bulbs. My first day in Nairobi, Kenya I was instantly briefed on Kibera slum. Kibera is located in Nairobi, Kenya and is the largest slum in Africa. In fact, it’s one of the largest in the world with nearly one million dwellers. Long story short, it sounded like a very inhospitable and dangerous place. The definition of slum, according to Merrium-Webster dictionary, is: a densely populated usually urban area marked by crowding, dirty run-down housing, poverty, and social disorganization.

Most of the dwellings are made of mud and are quite small, some sleep up to eight people, and the roofs are made of tin. The slum also lacks proper services likes schools, garbage removal and toilets. One latrine can be shared with up to 50 homes. This also means that electricity is lacking in most homes. Since most of the people living in Kibera make less than $2 a day, the possibility of paying for electricity is not something most people consider.

Upon arrival in Kibera, I was greeted by a few lovely people working with the local organization Asante Mama. On we went walking through the dirt streets and I did not get the overwhelming feeling that I was going to be ambushed or hurt. All the women that I interviewed were incredibly welcoming and chipper; as well as excited to share their stories. They all had one thing in common: Nokero solar light bulbs. Rather than me telling you about how the lights have helped them in multiple ways, let them tell you. I introduce you to Dalia, a mother and shopkeeper.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/nokero-lights-lives-kibera-slum-kenya/feed/0Holiday Solar Sale: 30% Off Through December 26thhttp://nokero.com/sales/holiday-solar-sale/
http://nokero.com/sales/holiday-solar-sale/#commentsThu, 18 Dec 2014 16:09:29 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4768 Give the gift of solar light! 30% all products through December 26th. Looking for a few last minute unique gifts for your loved ones, neighbors or colleagues? These lights are compact, affordable and long lasting. Just charge the light in the sunshine and it will provide hours of light at night. [...]

]]>http://nokero.com/sales/holiday-solar-sale/feed/0Building Brighter Futures in Cambodiahttp://nokero.com/main/building-brighter-futures-cambodia/
http://nokero.com/main/building-brighter-futures-cambodia/#commentsThu, 11 Dec 2014 18:50:50 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4723Building Brighter Futures Foundation (BBFF) is a small organization in Australia that is having a big impact on rural communities living in Cambodia. Building Brighter Futures Foundation’s mission is to support and facilitate community based projects and programs that encourage, enhance and enable the gaining of knowledge, understanding and skills that will allow the young people [...]

Building Brighter Futures Foundation’s mission is to support and facilitate community based projects and programs that encourage, enhance and enable the gaining of knowledge, understanding and skills that will allow the young people living in these communities to build a brighter and more sustainable future for themselves and their families. And one way they are seeing their mission through is access to light by distributing Nokero solar light bulbs.

Sra Srong is located just within a few kilometers of the Angkor Wat temple, a very popular tourist destination for its spectacular Buddhist temples. The Sra Srong community consists of 5 villages with approximately 30 homes per village. With an average of 5-6 people per household, that means a community of 800-900 people. It is estimated that there are around 600 children of school age in the community. However, they still don’t have access to electricity and there aren’t alternative power sources there either. The most common options that are used are kerosene lamps, which are dirty, dangerous and expensive. The other option for power is from car batteries, which are costly to have recharged on a regular basis. Access to renewable light will allow these families to have safer and cheaper light, freeing up the meager household budget for clothing, food and school costs.

When the villagers had been using the Nokero N220s for around 2 weeks, Phirom, the in-country coordinator for BBFF, returned to the village to get feedback and take some photos of the Nokeros in use. The feedback has been incredibly positive. People reported that they were able to work after dark. Many of the women in the village weave rattan baskets, and are part of a collective that BBFF has helped to develop to build the business opportunities within the village. They have also reported that the children are able to do schoolwork after dark, which is a huge benefit as many of the children are required to work during the daylight hours that they are not at school. They also mentioned that there are social benefits now that families can spend more quality time after dark. It’s also much easier to check on elderly family members or new babies during the night.

The goal with the first distribution of Nokeros was to only offer them to families who have no other option for light after dark. It was evident after the 30 solar lights were distributed, that there were many more families in this situation than BBFF could cover. During the follow-up community visit, Phirom was also surrounded by other community members asking what options there may be for them to receive a Nokero as well. The obvious need for solar lights was the impetus for BBFF to create a new crowdfunding project to raise donations for 150 more Nokeros! If this story has moved you, please consider making a donation to their campaign at www.chuffed.org/project/givelight/.

We commend Building Brighter Futures Foundation for their commitment and dedication to these communities in Cambodia. And thank them for spreading the light.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/building-brighter-futures-cambodia/feed/0Pen pals in Tanzania Inspire Philanthropy in a 10-year-oldhttp://nokero.com/main/pen-pals-tanzania-inspire-philanthropy-10-year-old-eva/
http://nokero.com/main/pen-pals-tanzania-inspire-philanthropy-10-year-old-eva/#commentsMon, 24 Nov 2014 15:55:02 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4705Eva is a 10-year-old girl who attends St. Vrain Community Montessori School in Colorado. With her fellow students, Eva helps to run the student organized and operated Upendo Emporium, the proceeds from which go to support learning activities and supplies for their pen pals at the Upendo school in Tanzania. Most of the students at the [...]

]]>Eva is a 10-year-old girl who attends St. Vrain Community Montessori School in Colorado. With her fellow students, Eva helps to run the student organized and operated Upendo Emporium, the proceeds from which go to support learning activities and supplies for their pen pals at the Upendo school in Tanzania. Most of the students at the Tanzanian school lack access to electricity and are unable to read or study past dusk.

Eva knew she wanted to do something to help her pen pals and was fascinated by the Nokero solar light bulbs when her mother introduced her to them. Knowing that these solar lights could help her friends in Tanzania, she raised enough money to buy an entire case, 48 lights in total. To do so, Eva organized a movie night at her school for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders. She surveyed her classmates about which movie everyone wanted to watch and decided to sell snacks as well. The evening was a grand success and she raised more money than she anticipated. She continued to sell snacks at her school and after months of work she was able to buy the Nokero N200 solar light bulbs. Her teacher went to Tanzania in June 2014 and delivered the solar light bulbs to Eva’s pen pals. The Upendo students enormously appreciated these solar lights. A tour of student homes revealed how life-changing having light will be; most students had no way of reading or doing projects in their rooms past dark.

Children are the change agents and we commend Eva for all her hard work and dedication to bringing lights into the homes of those living without access to electricity in Tanzania. Watch the slideshow below to see photos of the Nokero N200 solar lights being given to students in Tanzania.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/pen-pals-tanzania-inspire-philanthropy-10-year-old-eva/feed/0Empowering Young Mindshttp://nokero.com/main/empowering-young-minds/
http://nokero.com/main/empowering-young-minds/#commentsMon, 06 Oct 2014 23:26:22 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4645Guest blog post submitted by Paul Renaud, Director of Gift-in-Kind Program for Stop Hunger Now About Stop Hunger Now: Stop Hunger Now understands that by providing people with the resources they need, the have an increased likelihood of becoming healthy, educated and self-sufficient. Stop Hunger Now receives essential donated supplies from corporations, USAID, charitable partners and [...]

]]>Guest blog post submitted by Paul Renaud, Director of Gift-in-Kind Program for Stop Hunger Now

About Stop Hunger Now: Stop Hunger Now understands that by providing people with the resources they need, the have an increased likelihood of becoming healthy, educated and self-sufficient. Stop Hunger Now receives essential donated supplies from corporations, USAID, charitable partners and private donors. In 2012, Stop Hunger Now sent more than $7 million worth of donated goods to people in need around the world.

For nearly all children born into poverty, any hope of breaking the cycle of impoverishment rests on their ability to attain an education. Education is not just based on a child’s experience in school, but also on their home lives. Without sufficient access to food or electricity, children become malnourished, disheartened, and at odds with barriers to their educational success. This is why we, at Stop Hunger Now, invest our time and energy into school nutrition programs so that enrollment and matriculation rates can rise with the comfort of food security at home.

Yet, for the millions lacking stable access to electricity, the simple act of completing the assignments necessary to graduate becomes a chore dependent on the sun’s timetable. When the sun disappears over the horizon, learning typically comes to a halt. Young girls suddenly have to brave the darkness and put themselves at risk of assault, children must walk great lengths to find light sources suitable for the continuing of their studying, and families spend less time together and more time seeking light elsewhere Without reliable electricity, children often choose between personal health & safety or the chance to build a future free from the confines of poverty.

During a recent trip with Stop Hunger Now, I was excited to bring the gift of light to a place where it can impact lives and incite change the most — to schoolchildren in a small destitute, off-the-grid village called Sousa in the Dominican Republic. The children of this remote northern village are largely cared for, educated and fed by a small non-profit, Island Lights Ministries (ILM). Outside of a handful of communal buildings that periodically utilize diesel generators for village-wide events, everyday tasks must be tackled without the aid of electricity.

With two dozen Nokero N182 solar lights in tow, I toured the village and the ILM facilities to assess the situation. During my rounds I met with Debra Tunnicliffe, who runs the ILM school feeding program, and she made a specific appeal for the distribution for two of the lights. She asked that they be set aside for a nearby homeless woman who had three small children living with her on the street. We were obviously more than happy to fulfill her request. Debra explained that the lights will allow this woman’s young children to no longer live in fear after sunset.

Alongside my partners from the local branch of CitiHope International, we distributed 22 additional Nokero lights to children in need and trained them on how to power on the lights in order to empower their minds. Where before, the children were forced to risk their safety for the sake of education, they can now continue their studies in the safety and comfort of their own homes. The gift of light will allow them to continue learning, continue growing, and continue improving despite the circumstances they were born into. We’re ecstatic that through our partnership with Nokero, a child’s lack of electricity no longer has the ability to dictate their status in life.

Click to learn more about Stop Hunger Now and donate to bring more light to children in the Dominican Republic.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/empowering-young-minds/feed/0Mentionable Monday: El Shaddai Orphanage in Kenya Adopts Changehttp://nokero.com/main/blog-mentionable-monday-el-shaddai-orphanage-kenya-adopts-change/
http://nokero.com/main/blog-mentionable-monday-el-shaddai-orphanage-kenya-adopts-change/#commentsMon, 11 Aug 2014 16:00:56 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4056Worldwide, children tend to be early adopters. They understand technology, they embrace change, and they accept versatility. And yet, often we leave these ‘early adopters’ unadopted. At the Elshaddai Orphanage in Kenya, twenty five children ages 6 months to 17 years old are excited about their hopes and dreams for the future despite being orphaned [...]

Worldwide, children tend to be early adopters. They understand technology, they embrace change, and they accept versatility. And yet, often we leave these ‘early adopters’ unadopted. At the Elshaddai Orphanage in Kenya, twenty five children ages 6 months to 17 years old are excited about their hopes and dreams for the future despite being orphaned and living in semi-impoverished conditions.

One of the harshest conditions that these children face is darkness. According to the Elshaddai blog, “After sunset, since we only have 2 kerosene lamps, children eat in the dark courtyard with their hands.” These children look forward to their mealtimes and playtime but it becomes difficult and often saddening in the darkness or under the light of thick kerosene fumes. The orphanage recently adopted a new technology to improve the lives of the children who now call Elshaddai their home. The life-changing technology? Solar light bulbs.

Normally a quiet group of children, they were no longer quiet after receiving recently donated solar lights. A donor explains, “The girls were so excited to have light as they cut the vegetables, and were laughing and joking. The kids are all so happy as they go to bed with light in their rooms, and were singing and talking rather than quietly going to bed in the dark.”

One child, Benjamin, is sixteen years old and was recently accepted into school. Everyone at his orphanage celebrated alongside Benjamin as he talked about his dreams to “help other needy children.” With safe, clean, solar lighting at the orphanage this may be more of a reality than a dream for Benjamin and other orphaned children who try to study at night.

As the United States continues the US-Africa Summit under the direction of President Obama, we must remember the importance of powering Africa on even a small level. Nokero works with partners like the Elshaddai Orphanage to place independent energy within individuals’ hands. Safe, affordable lighting can create access to better healthcare, increased educational opportunities, safer cooking conditions, and a sense of empowerment and possibility among African youth. Steve Katsaros talks more about the importance of energy throughout Africa, and why business is essential to the growth of Africa, in an interview with KCWR 89.9’s Madeleine Brand. Click here to listen to the full interview.

]]>http://nokero.com/main/blog-mentionable-monday-el-shaddai-orphanage-kenya-adopts-change/feed/1Staying Solar-Charged While Hiking in Coloradohttp://nokero.com/main/blog-solar-charged-hiking-in-colorado/
http://nokero.com/main/blog-solar-charged-hiking-in-colorado/#commentsFri, 25 Jul 2014 03:05:59 +0000http://nokero.com/?p=4007A Casual Colorado Hike Charge my phone, pack a camera, do I have extra batteries? Fill the water bottle, bring a change of clothes, tie my sneakers. What time does the sun set? How hot is it today? Do I need bug spray? Suddenly I’m a bit hungry, I forget where I put the [...]

Charge my phone, pack a camera, do I have extra batteries? Fill the water bottle, bring a change of clothes, tie my sneakers. What time does the sun set? How hot is it today? Do I need bug spray? Suddenly I’m a bit hungry, I forget where I put the car keys, I need to get cash.

All of this effort went into my casual Saturday hike last weekend at Pikes Peak in Colorado. For just a hike, I had a list of ‘essential’ items, not to mention the list I could have developed for a full weekend camping excursion.

But what really got me thinking was how all of these may relate to life in developing countries. Although they may often be the same tools, they have different meanings.

Same tools, different rules

In Tanzania, all teenagers use phones to not only communicate but to make them feel independent, mature, and part of a larger community that connects them to the world. In Mozambique, the lack of clean water is nearly as sparse as safe transportation– without either, lives may be in danger.

In places where the heat reaches astronomical numbers, a little sun may not only hinder daily outdoor activity but the additional lack of safe indoor lighting can limit nighttime and indoor activity as well. Where malaria exists, bug defense technologies are not just tools to get rid of pesky and itchy bugs but instead a form of survival.

In rural Spain, hunger is not to be taken lightly when it reaches the point of starvation, and the economic downturn in the European Union led to not only a lack of individual cash but also a dangerous spike in unemployment that often led to increased suicide rates.

What is my point? That we take our “necessities” for granted; however, our tools are often no different than the tools used in the developing world and this can actually bring us closer together. The difference is the degree to which each is absolutely essential to its consumer, and the degree to which it can actually change a life.

As I hiked up Pikes Peak in sweltering heat, I let an N222 hang tightly from my backpack so that it was exposed to direct sunlight. At the top of the summit, I watched sunset fall over Colorado Springs and watched my light slowly turn on automatically with the surrounding darkness. Jogging down the path in warm Colorado darkness, armed with N400s and N222s, we were grateful to have light to guide us back down to town where our only problem had become our increasing hunger, thirst for more water, and a few pairs of tired legs.

Learn more about the technology used on this excursion:

N400s Nokero flashlights are the only product we have engineered to charge as effectively behind a plate of glass as beneath direct sunlight. Guess what that means? You can put it on your window with the included suction cup so that it charges all day and then switch it “On” on the side to be used as a flashlight for emergency or recreation situations at night. The N400 is bright enough to light a pathway about 3 feet ahead and best suitable for personal use rather than shared between multiple people.

The N222 is a miraculous product because it charges in direct sunlight (even when it’s turned off!) with no need for battery replacement within the first 5 years of use. As long as the black button is pushed “on” on the back, it will automatically turns on in darkness and will last for 4-6 hours on ‘high’ and 7-12 hours on the ‘low’ setting (after a full 6-8 hour charge in direct sunlight). It is bright enough to illuminate a campsite, a small room or hut, a patio, a garden, or a dark pathway in front of you while running down the mountain!

While hiking in Colorado, we plugged our phones into the blue USB outlet in the N222 and they continued to charge even after darkness because the product stores energy within the internal, rechargeable battery. Read more here about how the N222 and our other chargers work with different phones. After getting home, we could even add some extra ‘juice’ to the light by plugging it into the wall and using it to light up the dinner table. By plugging in any standard phone charger with a micro-USB end (think: Nokia or Android chargers), the red micro-USB port enables on-grid (“in-the-wall”) charging so that you are never left without power. While it is charging the light sits nicely in the base stand on my kitchen table or drilled into the wall above with the included screw. Click here to purchase your own N222 and send us pictures of the light hanging from your backpack or sitting on your table, because we want this light to work for you whether you live in a developed or a developing nation.